Millbrae: Series of water main breaks plagues residents

MILLBRAE -- Nearly 150 Millbrae homes were without water Friday morning after a series of mysterious main breaks occurred in five different areas, officials said.

The breaks, which occurred overnight between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., affected 1,000 homes at its peak, said Mike McCarron, Millbrae city project manager. Crews worked to repair the lines and restore water to the homes Friday morning, and between 120 and 150 homes were without water as of noon.

The first break was reported at 11:20 p.m. Thursday near Camino Alto and Silva Court, followed by one near Loyola Drive and Murchison Avenue two hours later, McCarron said.

Two more lines broke about 4 a.m. Friday, one near Larkspur and Ridgewood drives and the other near Helen and Geraldine drives.

The last break occurred about 6 a.m. at the intersection of Millbrae Avenue and Minorca Way, McCarron said. Nearby streets -- Helen Drive between Tioga Drive and Christine Lane, Lomita Avenue between Ridgewood and Bayview drives, and Camino Alto at Silva Court -- remained closed all morning.

According to McCarron, water was back on for nearly 900 customers when the break near Loyola and Murchison was repaired about 6:30 a.m.

"Over 1,000 homes were without water before that fix, so that was clearly our most significant break," said McCarron, who added that the rapid repair at that site allowed nearby Taylor Middle School to open as usual Friday.

Crews were pushing to have the other lines fixed between 4:30 and 6 p.m., he said. It remains unclear what caused the water mains to break.